


china patterns

by fated_addiction



Category: Korean Drama, 최고의 결혼 | The Greatest Marriage (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:10:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3089912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fated_addiction/pseuds/fated_addiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>He is surprised that she remembers the chrysanthemums.</i> Three moments after; Ki Young says yes and Eun Cha is more of the bride anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	china patterns

**Author's Note:**

> Series end spoilers. This was by far the most traumatic kdrama roller coaster that I've ever sat through. This series was such an emotional clusterfuck and while it's over, it was just not the kind of ending that the cluserfuckery needed to have. There was a lot that I was happy with and a lot that I was just like -__________________- to. Regardless! I have feelings and here they are.

1\. in-laws, or the rule of thumb.

 

He is surprised that she remembers the chrysanthemums.

It writes itself across his face, into his mouth and a slight frown, as he scrambles to tuck his shirt into his pants and adjust his tie. He's embarrassed and she's almost too satisfied but even that is almost affectionate.

"You were drunk and you couldn't stop talking about how hard it was to find white chrysanthemums for your mother's birthday," she says, almost teases, and she feels like she is very nearly confessing to him. Ki Young settles the flowers on the edge of his desk. His parents are late; they've picked a restaurant they can all walk to. "Sunbae," she says gently, and she stands in front him, pressed neatly into a cocktail dress and coat. "I should be more nervous than you."

He shakes his head. "My parents are thrilled."

"What did you say?"

He shrugs and is too honest. "That I like you," he tells her. He leans closer. 

She flushes. She peels his hands away from his tie and begins to fix it, her fingers slipping underneath his collar. She watches him swallow. Good, she thinks. She is just as nervous as he is.

His office has been a two month reality. He is more confused than the rest of public; he is also surprisingly earnest and productive ("Praise," he says gleefully. "I like the _praise_.") and it's all very, very adult. Things are changing slowly, she thinks. It comes in pieces: Dan is home, Tae Yeon is a better father, and her life just feels _different_.

"I remember though," she says quietly, and bites her lip. His gaze is curious and she tries not to hold it for too long. She feels shy. "You were having a particularly obnoxious day and it was my turn to deal with you --" her lips curl into a laugh " -- I took you for drinks," she fixes it, "and you said you missed your parents."

"I was probably trying to get into your pants."

Ki Young snorts, but Eun Cha winks and turns to grab his jacket. She gives it to him. The phone at his desk rings and his assistant is on speaker, telling him that his parents are on the elevator up. She has butterflies.

They are not in love. This is a mantra still. He has not bought a ring. They are shying away from talking about marriage as a business relationship. He still says stupid things. She most definitely has a temper.

Ki Young stays at his desk though. He moves and straightens his jacket twice. She watches curiously, almost thoughtfully. He swallows too and his hands may or may not be shaking.

He stops and doesn't look at her. His shoulders rise.

"Can you say yes again?"

This is all too honest and she knows he is asking her again and will continue to ask her again, and again, and one more time -- they don't lie to each other. She doesn't understand it either. Things are different. They are different.

Her lips twitch. "Yes."

 

-

 

His father is tall and a reader. His mother is elegant and small and wise; it's a strange combination, suddenly, knowing their son and how unpredictable Eun Cha remains.

Ki Young is more than aware that they watch them. Parents are careful (her mother would be) and their eyes follow as she sits next to Eun Cha at the table. They are polite. They do not hold hands. Their elbows press together. He's already helped her with her coat.

They do not ask Ki Young if she loves him. They do not ask about money. They do not talk about Dan or Eun Cha's history of public divorces.

His mother has a bright smile too.

"We look forward to getting to know you," she says.

 

 

 

2\. ex-boyfriends, ex-lovers, ex-wives. but really, who makes lists?

 

"I really don't understand it," Tae Yeon mutters, but she hears it, and they laugh, or rather, she _laughs_ because they are the playground and that's what parents are supposed to do.

Her name badge is tucked into her jacket pocket. She adjust her scarf and squints, her laugh soft as Dan tackles Eun Cha by the legs. They have been at the park for an hour. Tae Yeon will take Dan home, after.

"He's --" Tae Yeon sighs dramatically. "I mean, I personally think he's either some sort of idiot savant or serial killer which, then, I reserve the right to tell you I told you so. But then I remember that there's just no _way_ and I just don't understand the universe."

She smirks. "You sound like all his ex-wives."

Tae Yeon's eyes widen. "You've met them?"

She shrugs, reaching for her gloves. The warnings are almost comical. They seem to resolve themselves; he's an idiot, they all say.

"Two," she answers. "The third sent me a funeral arrangement." Her head tilts and Dan waves from the swings. She chuckles. "It was actually rather lovely. I have a lunch with her later this week."

He shakes his head.

They stand close. He doesn't reach for her. Occasionally they will touch and try and she wonders, _thinks_ , and there is nothing to feel but resolution. It was a long time before she could let herself understand she could have almost loved this man and now, here, there is actually a man that she might have loved then.

"Maybe you do deserve each other," Tae Yeon says.

 

-

 

Eun Cha gets her the ring.

Just before lunch, of course, when he hurries and grabs her and actually lies to say _we're getting coffee!_ to the old woman that smiles brightly when they pass in the street.

"I'm not letting you go into this without something," he says, and she rolls her eyes, letting his fingers lace through hers. His hands are always larger than she remembers. She studies how they cover hers. "She's absolutely insane," he mutters.

Ki Young snorts. "Sunbae, you've never been a picnic either."

"Yeah, but she'll set a picnic on fire. With small children involved to prove a point. She's not very good at managing stress."

"She was lovely," she says.

He ignores her though. He mutters through another story and then peels her into the store. There is a curt greeting by security. She blinks. A manager meets them halfway.

"Ah!" he greets. There is a small bag in his hand. "I didn't think you would return so soon. Luckily we had it adjusted."

Ki Young looks up. "Adjusted?"

"Yah --" he pulls a box out of the bag. He tosses it over a nearby counter, fumbling with the box. "Listen, she will eat you alive if I don't send you in there with something. I won't do that."

It happens slowly, suddenly, kind of like the proposal and the beer and _dan-ah is important to me too_ ; there's this strange, heavy feeling that uncurls in her throat. She is not going to cry. Ki Young thinks she may be just too stunned because, right there, he drops to his knee. He stumbles and she laughs and there are murmurs, right there, of other couples and families watching them through their phone.

"Seriously?"

Eun Cha pouts. "I'm making a _scene_ here."

"I noticed," she's dry.

His fingers are surprisingly gentle. They warm over her palm and she doesn't even noticed the setting; it's a large diamond, bright, and later, a family heirloom that was cleaned. _My mother likes you_ , he'll say.

"You would never leave me to fend for myself," he tells her, and this is important.

The ring fits too well on her finger.

It's real.

 

 

 

3\. birds. and bees. wait, that's _a lot_ of bees --

 

"No," he says firmly. " _Absolutely_ not."

Dan stands in the middle of the room. His hands are on his hip. Ki Young hides a smile; Eun Cha looks panicked.

Her son turns his gaze on her.

"Eom- _ma_ ," he says. "Jin said that if your parents don't hug or --" his eyes are brighter and he leans forward, whispering, "-- or _kiss_ , they don't really love each other."

It stands as an accusation. Or curiosity. Her son will start kindergarten. Grandparents are useful this time around.

But he has friends, she thinks. She kneels forward, brushing his hair from his eyes and smiles a little.

"Where is this coming from?"

"You have a ring," he insists.

Eun Cha chokes. "Who put you up to this?"

"It's just one kiss," Dan says. He leans forward into her hand. Then he looks over at Eun Cha. "Appa, you always say she's pretty. You said she's pretty when she's angry too."

Ki Young rolls her eyes. "Did he?"

"Uh-huh," Dan says. Then he throws an accusatory gaze at Eun Cha. "Pretty enough to _kiss_ ," he says too, and she laughs when Eun Cha blushes.

She looks at the ring on her finger. A few more weeks, she thinks. The invitations are bare. Her mother may or may not come.

Eun Cha steps to them. She meets his gaze over Dan's head. They study each other. It's almost shy. They do not hate each other, she thinks. It's more than just apparent.

"She is pretty," he says then, and his fingers brush over Dan's hair. He smiles and swallows and then, suddenly, they are at her forehead. His thumb pushes her hair away from her eyes. "Even prettier, these days."

Her son smiles, satisfied. "See?"

This is a close kiss.

 

-

 

There are three glasses of champagne involved, a dress, and okay, so Tae Yeon took Dan for the night because of a weekend trip they are going to take and really, _that is nice_.

Ki Young waits for Eun Cha to return to his office. There was a party for the voters. The beads of her dress are cool against the back of her knees. She lost her heels somewhere by his desk. There were questions, you know, from _take lots of pictures_ to _we can't wait to see the dress_. It's unnerving that people are waiting to see what they might do this time.

Behind her the door opens and she watches Eun Cha and his reflection enter the office. His tie is skewed. He barks into his phone. There's another bill and he has two major assistants. He's serious and she thinks _he's handsome_ and somehow that surprises her.

She turns and meets his gaze. She presses back against the glass. It remains cool against her skin.

He hangs up first.

"Sorry," she says.

"Why?" he shakes his head. He moves to her, starting to pull his tie from around his collar. "It was too much tonight. Even I was tired."

Her lips twitch. "You're always tired."

He sends her a look. Her eyes brighten. She reaches for the tie and stops him from pulling it completely off. She stays leaning against the window and he lets her, watching as she moves the fabric between her fingers.

"It's nice to work."

"It is."

"Are you sure about this?" she asks quietly, not the first time, but it always feels like the first time. She is just as much a piece as he is. This is an understanding between the two of them.

He has this expression -- mouth firm, eyes wide and too honest, and then he reaches for her. His hand stops at her hip. The other moves to her hair. He touches her, lightly, shyly, but _touches_ her and the intimacy isn't lost on anyone or anything. She thinks: _this would have never happened if we worked together_. But then again, she doesn't know.

"Yes," he says.

 

-

 

He does kiss her.

It's not the first one. ("Let's practice," he says before the wedding; she hits him and his mouth is still warm enough to make her laugh.) And it's certainly not the best one. (That one comes later, much later, and Dan is running ahead of them, straight to the playground and somehow, he sneaks an arm around his shoulder and his mouth is just there. She will never remember exactly but the taste is sweet and she is smiling.)

What happens is this:

They forget about separate bedrooms. It's unnatural to them both. They are not platonic; they forget to be and maybe, it's just the way they have always been.

"We leave at five," he says.

A working honeymoon, they told friends. She pulls pins from her hair and moves to go sit at her vanity.

"Five, huh?"

She runs a tired hand through her hair. She smiles faintly. The MC that is filling in for her isn't doing as well. She is looking forward to work.

"It's just a few days," Eun Cha tells her, and it's as if he just knows. It's strange to enjoy work and have someone understand. She doesn't think about these things. His nose wrinkles. "Because you've got to put the adoring public out of their misery. The guy they have filling in for you isn't _me_ , but a paper bag has more personality."

Her lips curl. "Sunbae," she murmurs, and he blushes.

He moves to her and takes a seat on the edge of her chair, a bench for the vanity. It was Yun Hee's wedding gift to her. It's white and soft and _you need a large declaration of your things_ , she said. There are perfume bottles and makeup scattered by the mirror and flowers, flowers that Dan coaxed Eun Cha into getting her.

They stare at each other in her mirror though. His mouth turns and he looks a little shy, nudging her shoulder.

"Ten years."

Ki Young blinks. "Ten years?"

"Small goals," he says. "I'd like us to get to ten years. Dan wants a little brother too. Or sister." He searches her gaze. "But only if she's as pretty as you -- that was the requirement."

Her face feels warm. "And that's a small goal."

"I think it's reasonable."

Ki Young laughs. "Is it?"

His fingers touch her cheek. He's suddenly serious and then leans into her, his mouth grazing hers. She makes a soft sound, a slight sound, and he bites at her lip, sighing a little too.

"I can't promise to make you happy," he tells her. "I'm probably the worst kind of man -- I understand that about myself, you know."

"I know," she murmurs. Her hand reaches forward and she touches his cheek. Her fingers drag lightly over his jaw and she finds her mouth back over his, her knees pressing into his thighs.

He makes another sound. "I can promise to try --" it's low and sharp; he breathes and she swallows " -- I want to try."

If she were twenty, or maybe twenty and closer to her thirties; if she were more pragmatic; if she were still the same woman from before; romance is romance though and older and wiser, it's a different reality. Know the facts: she's struggled, her son is happy and healthy, and he is a man. He isn't a perfect man. He isn't _the_ man. He has never made sense to her.

But the smallest wedding is an almost perfect wedding. This is a reality that is going to stay. She knows his hands. She's learning his mouth. He makes Dan breakfast. They endure each other's jokes. She isn't happy but there is such a thing as a slow goal.

Ki Young stays close.

 

-

 

In the morning, there are cameras.

She wears sunglasses. He carries her bag in one hand, holds hers, and the plane tickets are in his jacket.

They smiles at the flashes.

You can look for their rings.


End file.
